LOOKING AT PERSUASION

Not too long ago I was involved in a discussion about whether the act of persuasion is unethical. What triggered this initially was an earlier conversation over the ultimate purpose of public relations: persuasion or partnership. Currently, two schools of thought dominate perceptions of public relations. One is that it is a process designed to persuade a public or publics into supporting a belief or taking action that they previously have or had not taken. The other is that public relations is more geared toward creating a partnership between different publics to support an issue in which they agree. An example of this would two groups that come together to support and work on behalf of a particular candidate.

The person with whom I was talking viewed the process of persuasion as being unethical by the mere fact it involves premeditated efforts to manipulate others. Therefore, it is dishonest and, by extension, reinforces the notion some have that public relations is not a good form of communication. I disagree. While I do agree there are plenty examples of deceit being used to manipulate others, I think it is fundamentally unfair to automatically assume that speaking out on behalf of a product, a cause or a candidate, for instance, is in and of itself dishonest. Those who seek to rally greater support to combat global warming are not guilty of dishonest communication unless the facts they use are purposefully twisted.

One thing that makes this a gray rather than a black-or-white question revolves around the information one chooses to include and omit when they speak out of behalf of something or someone. Understandably, people use information and/or data that supports their position. Is this dishonest? After all, you and I often purposefully leave out information that might give others a more complete perspective of an issue we feel strongly about. Are we being deceitful in this case? I do not believe so. But at the same time, we and everyone else who attempts to persuade others, should be diligent in presenting what facts they do us in a honest and open manner. Having said all that, acknowledging other perspectives while attempting to persuade others greatly adds to one's credibility and, interestingly, makes they even more persuasive.